After our first few days in Tokyo we started to wonder if our expectations were a little to high!
To begin with we did enjoy the journey from Kyoto to Tokyo as we finally got to travel on a Japanese bullet train. We were very impressed with how comfy the train was and how spacious.
Arriving in Tokyo we checked into our hostel and made up our bed. We then decided to head to one of the local parks for a wonder.
Based on the weather forecast for the time we were in Tokyo we decided to spend our first full day, and the only sunny day wondering...

Our final three days in Kyoto have essentially been spent visiting numerous temples, shrines and markets. In fact there are over 2000 temples and shrines dotted around the city and you can't go too far without inadvertantly walking into one of them.
On our first full day we decided to head to the north west of the city to visit the golden pavilion which is a Buddhist temple. It was absolutely stunning with the temple covered in gold and a beautiful lake which allowed for a perfect reflection of the temple itself. We also decided to visit...

Today we left our Osaka hostel and made the short journey to Kyoto. Kyoto is very famous for its numerous temples and shrines but we decided to start things off with a trip to the bamboo forest. The forest itself is a little way out the city so we decided to take what we thought was a train but ended up being a very cute one carriage tram to the forest.
When we arrived in Arashiyama (where the forest is) we could sense the difference between here and Osaka. Kyoto seems very much more traditional with smaller and more quaint houses as well...

On another swelting day we headed to Nara to see Todoiji Temple. Todoiji Temple was constructed in 752 as the head temple of all provincial Buddhist temples. The Temple was very impressive and very busy. The main area inside is home to one of Japan's largest Buddha's.
Todoiji is surrounded by Nara park full of wild deer that you can feed and lots of other temples. We took a walk around the park and stumbled across Nigatsudo Hall which was a lot quieter than Todoiji but also very traditional in its decor. We sat on the bench taking in the...

Today we headed to Himeji Castle an hour away from Osaka. The castle was built in the 1600s and was the main castle of some of Japan's biggest clans.
The Castle was very traditional. We were able to go inside and visit all six floors, it was fascinating to see where the swords would have been stored and the bowmen would fire their arrows from during battle.
We then took a walk through a beautiful and very traditional garden. The main garden was broken up into various little gardens all with different themes to them. At this point we were...

Today we flew to Japan. It wasn't on our original intended list of countries to go to but as we spent less time in China we thought we'd make the most of the time we have.
We arrived courtesy of a rather bumpy flight from HK and were greeted with the typical Japanese efficiency. Fingerprints taken and retinal images provided we entered Japan...just.
Clearly my unkempt hairstyle and Katie's general demeanour garnered the attention of the Japanese customs officers to the extent that they asked us if we were importing drugs and then proceeded...

Flight from Sydney via Tokyo to Osaka was uneventful, everything went smoothly including the train ride from Newcastle to Sydney Airport.
Our hotel Courtyard Marriott is only a short walk to Shin Osaka station. We chose it as it gives us easy access to central Osaka and it is the station where we will pick up the next leg of our journey on the Bullet Train.
Used the Subway today to visit Osaka Castle. Of all the historical sights we have seen on our travels the stone work that surrounds and on which the castle sits is amazing example of...